The Cannery Lodge at Semiahmoo Park

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Semiahmoo Park

Reception

Our Wedding

Charles and I met on Bumble, you know, the app where the girl has to make the first move? His profile picture was him and his dog, Pico. For those of you who have known me for a long time, my first dog love was Toby. Well, Pico looks so much like Toby that he caught my eye; it was an added bonus that I thought the owner was cute, too. So I decided to swipe right, and well, the rest is history, but it's the middle that's so much fun. As it turns out, Charles and I both had to leave our home state of Texas to find each other. Charles grew up in San Antonio, while I grew up just down the road in Laredo. We met in November of 2021, and he asked me to marry him on January 1, 2025. We can't wait to spend the rest of our lives together.

It started with a dog and a swipe

Our Story

Photos

Jolie is my person! We've been friends for almost twenty years, and I couldn't imagine doing this thing called life without her. We meet for coffee at least every two weeks, and that's not nearly often enough. Oh, and they are at least three hours long! In case you're wondering, no, we never run out of things to talk about. 
Be sure to give her a high-five when you meet her. 

Jolie McGrath

Wedding Party

Think outdoor summer wedding in the Pacific Northwest, we'll be off the beach, so once the sun goes down, it will cool off. Of course, the sun doesn't go down until after 9 pm in September. We're going to be exchanging our vows on a deck, so be mindful of that. And I hope there will be dancing, lots of dancing so wear shoes that you can dance the night away in and take a walk along the rocky beach.

Dress Code

Many of you are traveling a long way to join us as we celebrate our love for each other. Thank you for making the journey. I will do my best to provide you with as much information as possible, and may add more as we get closer to the wedding.Flying in: We are fortunate to live near many airports; some are more expensive than others, and some are more convenient.The three airports along the I5 corridor are Seattle (SEA), Everett (Paine Field), and Bellingham. Seattle tends to be the most affordable since it's the largest of the three. Keep in mind that you'll still need transportation up to Bellingham/Ferndale/Blaine. Everett is right in the middle, so it's convenient, and you don't have to deal with all the city traffic. Bellingham is the closest, smallest, and most expensive. For reference, it takes about 2 hours to get to Seattle, one hour to get to Everett, and 5 minutes to get to Bellingham from our home. If you have a passport, you can fly into our neighbor to the north, Vancouver, British Columbia, which is about an hour drive from our home. Transportation from SeaTac (Seattle Airport):<a href="https://airporter.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bellair Airporter Shuttle</a> is a great shuttle service. You can take it to Bellingham Airport or Ferndale, depending on your transportation, while you're in town. Renting a car is likely your best bet. Pro tip: If you have a Costco membership, they offer way better car rental prices than any other place I've seen.

The Silver Reef Hotel and Casino is five minutes away from our home. We also plan to stay the night there on the wedding night, so if anyone wanted to continue the fun, we could do so at the casino. There are also several other hotels nearby. Others that I would comfortably recommend are the following:<a href="https://room77.com/property/1482426.html?pn=&amp;googleCampaignId=18563239356&amp;googleAdGroupId=158930669691&amp;googleAdId=673939802390&amp;keyword=holiday%20inn%20in%20bellingham%20washington&amp;matchType=b&amp;googleKeywordId=&amp;adExtensionId=&amp;network=g&amp;adPosition=&amp;deviceType=c&amp;physicalLocation=9033373&amp;interestLocation=&amp;targetId=kwd-2193755559763&amp;placement=&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=18563239356&amp;gbraid=0AAAAAD-SH6qZS-UxlP6yaX2mgF-nuYkuR&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiAsY3LBhCwARIsAF6O6Xg6UEDqSTYYWSrqik63cc9UbI-Dt5RmJP4Y7bbYig1zPLu1KQeoOWoaAjcZEALw_wcB" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Holiday Inn &amp; Suites Bellingham by IHG</a><a href="https://www.hilton.com/en/locations/usa/washington/bellingham/home2-suites/?WT.mc_id=zlada0ww1ht2psh3ggl4advbpp5dkt6multibr7_153677698_1003528&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=22475995354&amp;gbraid=0AAAAADOgslRJhcN-MjSwNV7ncPwltKm_M&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiAsY3LBhCwARIsAF6O6Xhn9es3EkKy0JszdxXH_idLOCosl08c87WbLgr40yAeUZJtR8ymsb8aAsUtEALw_wcB" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Home2Suites Bellingham</a><a href="https://www.reservations.com/hotel/springhill-suites-by-marriott-bellingham?googleCampaignId=22502967501&amp;googleAdGroupId=180430264953&amp;googleAdId=750378279020&amp;keyword=springhill%20suites%20by%20marriott%20bellingham&amp;matchType=b&amp;googleKeywordId=&amp;adExtensionId=&amp;network=g&amp;adPosition=&amp;deviceType=c&amp;physicalLocation=9033373&amp;interestLocation=&amp;targetId=kwd-333197601989&amp;placement=&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=22502967501&amp;gbraid=0AAAAA9ud1S-t6qYE2qPudQid2Un7oBlhy&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiAsY3LBhCwARIsAF6O6XghUhsICVRMC0h5nHNlt0uRzjcbEyUp5T0rcOFso2RsXFGYsXyDsQcaAixREALw_wcB" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Springhill Suites by Marriott</a><a href="https://hotelbellwether.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hotel Bellwether</a><a href="https://www.guestreservations.com/semiahmoo-resort/booking?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=973793445&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=973793445&amp;gbraid=0AAAAADiMQMYBnh3BXOptOKW6Zal6BgpRN&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQiAsY3LBhCwARIsAF6O6Xhetzz5VfG0HyRHQTW9TqBcCfGRwcS6XHWxqH2tNhi8mEmHmxehBMAaAiqjEALw_wcB" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Semiahmoo Hotel &amp; Resort</a>

Silver Reef Hotel and Casino

Travel

You couldn't ask for a better place to visit...

Seriously, the Pacific Northwest towards the end of summer is one of the most beautiful places in Washington, dare I say the country? If this is your first time visiting, welcome, you're in for a treat. If you're a regular visitor, welcome back. Summer is the best time to visit; the sun rises around 5 am and doesn't set until 9 or 9:30 pm, so you have plenty of time to explore. If you like to hike, you've hit the jackpot; find a hike on one of hundreds of hiking trails from water to mountains, and everything in between. If you like scenery, take a drive down Chuckanut. Taking a drive out to Mount Baker and stopping off at Nooksack Falls is also a beautiful way to spend the day, drive all the way up to Artist Point (be aware, it's a very windy road), and one your way back down stop at <a href="https://www.northforkbrewery.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Northfork Brewery</a>, they have great pizza, brew their own beer, and have been around for decades. If you like to shop, you have to visit Fairhaven and stop at our locally owned bookstore, <a href="https://villagebooks.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Village Books (my personal favorite), and Paper Dreams</a>. If you don't mind a little bit of a drive (20 minutes), go visit Lynden. Lynden is a sweet little Dutch town with many sweet little shops, from clothing to antiques. Stop and get a treat at <a href="https://lyndendutchbakery.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lynden Dutch Bakery</a>, and an ice cream from <a href="https://www.edaleendairy.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Edaleens</a> is a must-have, giant ice cream cones for less than $3! The <a href="https://www.bellinghamfarmers.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Bellingham Farmers Market</a> is also lovely, so if you like fresh flowers, fruit, veggies, and artisan crafts, it's a must-see. If you like craft beer, welcome, there are amazing microbreweries all around us. One of my favorites is <a href="https://www.terramarcraft.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TerraMar Brewstillery;</a> it's a 20-minute drive south, but it's worth it in my opinion. There are also many others in town who are great.

Melinda & Charles

Melinda & Charles

Photos